Getting Started - A Condo Refresh in Sonoma | David Locicero / Architect

This project recently came into the studio: A condominium refresh up in Sonoma. I don’t usually take work so far afield, but I know the client and am considering opening a Sonoma satellite office. So I figured, it looks like fun!

It is a roughly 1000 square foot 2bd 2bath ground floor condo in a complex built in the early 1980s. It is in fairly good condition given that it has been a rental unit for the last decade.

There is some cosmetic work required in the bathrooms. We’ll be replacing the sinks and vanities and the toilets. We’ll also be putting in glass shower/tub enclosures. The client finds shower curtains kind of nasty.

The bulk of the work will be in the kitchen. The existing kitchen is fairly cut off from the living room and completely cut off from the dining room. I’ve modeled the existing condition in Chief Architect so you can see what it looks like now.

*This is what the existing kitchen looks like from the dining area.*
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

*This is the existing dining area and kitchen as seen from the living room.*
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

The client wants to open up the living, dining, and kitchen into one big space. But they also want a functional kitchen. In this project we are constrained by an existing structural, “load bearing”, wall that separates the kitchen from the living room. We also want to keep the range near the existing kitchen exhaust location, and the sink near the existing plumbing in order to keep within the tight budget.

At the moment we are considering two options. The first is more conventional. Here we open up the kitchen to the dining room and create a two sided galley kitchen, with a big pass through between the kitchen and the living room. We’ve also changed the access to the laundry from within one of the bathrooms to from the kitchen.

*The galley kitchen option as seen from the dining area. We keep the bulk of the refrigerator in the back corner and open up the kitchen directly to the dining area.*
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

*This is the galley kitchen option as seen from the living room. Here you can see the new pass through where the old pocket door used to be.*
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

The second option is, at the moment, not as thoroughly worked out, but is most exciting to the client. This option moves the kitchen to a single wall that joins the kitchen and dining area, and opens up the wall between the kitchen and living room by exploiting the framing for the existing pocket door to allow a wide opening.

This is the “big open room” option. We have arrayed the major appliances and cabinets along the back wall of the dining and kitchen area, and completely opened up the wall where the old pocket door used to be.
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

In this image of the “one big room” option, you can see how the kitchen is lined up against one wall, as well as how much more open the kitchen is to the living room. It still has some functional issues to address, but I can see why the client is excited by this.
*Image copyright 2020, David Locicero, architect*

We’ll work through some of the issues with this second option, then start comparing the costs of each option in order to make an informed decision.

If you are interested in remodeling your home or condominium in Sonoma, San Francisco or the East Bay, get your copy of my Project Planning Cheat Sheet to help you prepare by setting a realistic budget and schedule. Just sign up in the form on the right side of this page.